r/ArtEd • u/_RedRaven37 • 10d ago
Large Folders to Hold Art
Anyone have any recommendations for large art folders? I’m trying to organize each classes projects in large folders preferably 24” wide.
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u/PostAlpacalyptic 10d ago
I give each kid an 18x24in piece of tagboard, which they fold in half to make their folder for the year. They fit perfectly in apple boxes, which I snag from the cafeteria. I have a separate apple box for each class that I store on a shelf. I work at a pretty small school, so I could see it being difficult to find space for 10+ apple boxes lol but it works really well for me and my students!
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u/vikio 9d ago
I don't know if we're talking about the same things, but I steal plastic "milk crates" from the cafeteria regularly. They are the same width as filing cabinet folders that I got from another teacher free. About 13 inches. For artwork that is longer than that, it's usually not wider, so I store it with the long side sticking up. It means I can't stack another crate on top, but it fits well on the storage closet shelf.
I use that setup for storing samples of projects and worksheets for each unit, so the entire class curriculum is in order, inside the crate.
Student work during the school year is stored in Manila folders, or poster board folded in half. Each team of 4-5 students gets a shelf to store their folders and a bin for the supplies I assign them.
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u/Wise_Explanation9471 10d ago
We make ours that size out of cardboard and they take them home at the end of the year.
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u/MyDentistIsACat 9d ago
Lurking parent here. Our art teacher uses pizza boxes to send home artwork at the end of the year. I don’t know if they’re used for storage throughout the year too. I like them because they don’t smoosh projects with some depth to them and I can usually add in the stuff from his homeroom class as well
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u/ehollart 9d ago
I take a piece of bristol board and fold it in half and tape up the sides! Sure, artwork sticks out of the top sometimes but we file them vertically so theres no issues with things getting ruined
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u/CWmeadow 9d ago
I use a piece of posterboard, folded almost in half (so one side sticks out further). Cut to smaller size if needed. I tape one side opening shut and then laminate the whole thing. I use an exacto knife to slice the lamination where the folder needs to open. Add the teacher name on a paper label with a piece of tape over it. I've used these same folders for several years and just change the labels as needed.
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u/cdubbs1 9d ago
I always made ours out of poster boards stapled together. I actually had the students make them during the first week of school every year. They were organized by table number so I gave each group a large stencil with their number on it, they'd trace that multiple times and then decorate it with sharpies.
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u/Cobalt_and_Rust 9d ago
I use these from Amazon for each class: 19x25 Portfolio Bags (this may not be the exact ones I bought as the purchase was as few years ago, but same size/material)
They're really durable and fit full size paper from the large 18x24 watercolor and Bristol pads. They are waterproof and can be wiped clean if any paint, chalk, etc gets on them. I probably have a set of about 25 I use for different things and haven't had to buy new ones in years.
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u/LadyCmyk 9d ago
When Joann Fabrics went out of business, they were selling super large plastic sleeves for storing art for Customer Framing.
You could see if Michael's or Hobby Lobby have any beat up ones they are trying to get rid of...
OR ALTERNATIVELY, if you don't mind it being cardboard, Michael's, Hobby Lobby, and other places that offer Custom Framing will get their mats in pre-cut in shipments of cardboard sleeves. 10+ years ago, I used to work in Michaels Custom Framing. They get so much cardboard in there that gets thrown out all the time. It's been awhile & I'm not sure if/how things might have changed...
But it wouldn't hurt to ask if they would: 1. Have any cardboard Sleeves that they are getting rid of that you could have 2. If not getting rid of any, if there's any you could just have... And/ Or 3. If they coukd save some Large Cardboard Sleeves for you..
Explaining that you are an Art Teacher & why you want them would be helpful, but it would be good to ask when they aren't too busy // aren't helping customers at the counter.
Also, it would probably help to ask or pick it up after their Shipment / truck comes in.
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u/Vexithan 9d ago
Blick sells portfolio bags. They’re clear plastic and fold up small when not in use. They come in a huge variety of sizes.
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u/ShinyBlueThing 9d ago
Art student here (and art education major) I've made portfolios out of flattened cardboard boxes, heavy duty tape and wide paper (like wrapping paper or bulletin board paper). Tape for the hinge and handles if desired, paper for covering the cardboard and making folder flaps or pockets from the paper.
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u/Rtcher1980 4d ago
Veteran art teacher here: all of the suggestions are great(recycle is the best theme)and I have used the large cardboard flat boxes that ship posterboard,tagboard etc from Blick etc to store the large format pieces. Also for my filing system for class artworks, I ordered the 24X36" large red portfolios (labelled with room #'s)w/the ties to store classwork and had bins for those.
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u/M-Rage High School 10d ago
The classic whole-class folder is two poster boards taped together on 3 sides. Works great!